Loosen Your Belt for Marilynn’s Place

The NOLA Roast Beef Po-Boy from Marilynn’s Place in Shreveport, already something of a legend among the po-boy cognescenti of Shreveport-Bossier.

One of the many new dining spots in Shreveport-Bossier is Marilynn’s Place, located at 4041 Fern Avenue in Shreveport. Housed in a converted Texaco station in the Broadmoor neighborhood, Marilynn’s Place specializes in po-boys and other staples of creole and Cajun cuisine. During my visit, my dining partner and I tried the NOLA Roast Beef Po-Boy (pictured above, $9.95), the Crawfish Etouffee ($11.95), a side order of cole slaw, and a house-made dessert special. The roast beef po-boy was tender and delicious, served up topped with au jus, making it a bit of an unruly challenge to eat without getting pretty sloppy. But in the case of roast beef po-boys, sloppy can be a very good thing, as was the case here. The etouffee was delicious as well: mounds of hot crawfish tails served over rice, in a delicious roux replete with celery and green bell peppers.

But strangely, the highlight of my dining experience at Marilynn’s Place was a side dish. I have been raving about their cole slaw to anyone who’ll listen (and, unsurpisingly, not a lot of folks will listen to me rave about cole slaw). I tasted celery, cabbage, parsley, green onions, and yellow bell pepper. Unlike some slaws that are served practically awash in creamy sauce, I’d guess that this fantastic stuff was tossed in some kind of sweet vinaigrette with fresh-ground black pepper. It was light, refreshing, and surprising. It tasted healthy, which is not an adjective that I often use to describe cole slaw.

We finished things off with a house-made slab of peanut butter and fudge icebox pie. The manager, Pat, said he’s been working on the recipe for six years. It was as awesome as it looks.
I’m told that they also offer a fantastic breakfast special – three beignets and a Community coffee for $3.99. I’ll definitely be back to try it…just not the morning after a NOLA Roast Beef Po-Boy! If you’ve tried it, please let us know what you think in the comments.